Action against errant developers
01/11/1994 BT
THE Land and Cooperative Development Ministry will take stern action
against developers and surveyors who deliberately delay the issuance of strata
titles for completed buildings. Minister Datuk Osu Sukam said yesterday that
under Section 8 of the Strata Title Act 1985, developers are required to have
the strata titles issued within six months of the issuance of the certificate
of fitness or six months after the signing of the sale and purchase agreement.
Offenders can be fined RM5,000 and an additional RM1,000 a day if the offence
continues, he told reporters after opening a seminar on understanding the Strata
Title Act 1985 and Building Management, in Malacca. - Bernama

Defects database for British building industry 04/11/1994 NST
A DEFECTS database - the Construction Quality Forum (CQF) - has been
introduced by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) in Britain to combat
design defects and failures in the construction industry. Their annual estimated
cost in Britain is running at 1,000 million Pound Sterling (RM4,000 million).
Programmed with data on problems encountered by builders, architects, engineers
and surveyors in residential and commercial structures, CQF analyses statistics
and gives early warning of faults and guidance on their solution.

Buyers told
to sue condo developer 08/11/1994
NST
HOUSING and Local Government Deputy Minister Daud Taha said buyers of
units in a condominium project in Kuala Lumpur should take legal action
against a developer for allegedly publishing a misleading advertisment of
the scheme. He said the advice was given to the buyers who had met him at
the ministry recently with Liew Ah Kim (DAP-Seputeh).

Govt to meet housing developers
10/11/1994 BT By Azhar Ghazali
THE Government is expected to call for a meeting with the various private
sector bodies in the housing sector next week to discuss the growing
problem of developers taking "short cuts" in projects. Housing and Local
Government Minister Datuk Dr Ting Chew Peh said the Cabinet, at its weekly
meeting yesterday, issued the directive to the ministry to hold the
meeting.

Housing Ministry to meet developers 10/11/1994 NST
KUALA LUMPUR, Wed. - The Housing and Local Government Ministry will be
meeting developers, the Masters Builders' Association and the various
architect and engineering associations individually next week. Datuk Dr
Ting Chew Peh said there was a need to meet these organisations as the
public had complained to his Ministry that some contractors do not follow
regulations when putting up buildings.

PJ to plug loopholes in environmental laws
11/11/1994
NST-CITYX
THE Petaling Jaya Municipal Council will review its environmental regulations
to plug loopholes that stop it from acting against developers who spoil the
environment. MPPJ president Mohamed Nor Bador said the exercise was essential
to efforts to adequately preserve the environment.

Action to
revive housing project
24/11/1994 NST-CITYX By L.H. Lim
EIGHTY-NINE buyers of houses in the abandoned housing project of Taman
Pasir Emas in Jalan Sungai Chua, Kajang, are relieved that Bank Negara has
stepped in to revive the project. The project, which started in 1987, was
abandoned midway following which the buyers formed an action committee to
deal with the developers to revive the project.

Great drop in
abandoned housing projects
28/11/1994 NST By Esther Tan
KUALA LUMPUR, Sun. - Abandoned housing projects may soon be a thing of the
past as the Government is curbing it by tightening regulations and keeping
a close watch on the industry. Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk
Dr Ting Chew Peh said cases of housing projects being abandoned have
drastically decreased in the last few years.

Building by-laws enforced by April 30/11/1994 NST
KUALA LUMPUR, Tues. - The recently-amended Uniform Building By-Laws,
which carry a hefty fine of RM500,000 and 10 years imprisonment for those responsible
for a buildings collapse, will be enforced by April. Housing and Local Government
Minister Datuk Dr Ting Chew Peh said today the by-laws were expected to be gazetted
in two to three months time.